OKC Thunder grades: Shooting woes and poorly timed substitutions in clutch time keeps OKC win-less

 OKC Thunder Best Reserve:

I’m not picking an individual for best reserve. Rather I’m giving the hat tip to the entire bench unit. Each of the five reserves who played offered value and reason to merit this honor. Dennis Schroder seemed to be forcing a little too much, but there are signs of how effective the bench unit can be once they have time to develop chemistry. Just like the Westbrook – Adams pick and roll is effective, there is no reason to believe the Schroder – Noel PNR couldn’t be as equally effective.

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Hamidou Diallo’s minutes did reflect Erik Horne’s comments regarding playing time as he garnered six more minutes than Ferguson. His stat line in those 20 minutes was impressive: 6 points, 5 rebounds (2 offensive), a steal, 3 blocks, 3 of 7 from the line and a plus +3. In spite of this I like him coming off the bench and when rolling getting additional minutes in the fourth quarter.

Patterson as mentioned above performs better when he begins on the bench. However, his presence at game end resulted in 7 consecutive points and for the life of me I can’t figure out why Donovan took him out while he was on a role. Not known as a robust rebounder he also snagged 7 rebounds (2 offensive). His shot attempts were meager however (3 of 7, 1 of 2 from behind the arc), yet he made the most of what he was offered.

If there was one reserve player to tap as the over achiever it’s likely Alex Abrines who looked ready to blow the game wide open with back to back treys. Unfortunately he got one more touch a minute later and not again until there was just 10 seconds remaining. Moving forward, given OKC’s floor spacing issues and shooting woes it does seem like Abrines would be the most logical player to insert into the opening rotation.

Best Opponent:

Without Aron Baynes available Marcus Morris was an x-factor in this game. He served up a gritty performance playing tough in the paint as well as from the perimeter. To wit, Morris connected on four of five shots from beyond the arc. He amassed 21 points of the Celtics 32 total bench points and delivered a double-double by adding 10 rebounds.

Despite a cold first half Morris came out focused and aggressive in the second half scoring 19 of his 21 points in the frame.

Final Thoughts

There are still 78 games to play, however this situation can’t be allowed to fester. With that, instead of five takeaway column tomorrow’s followup will feature a shopping list for Sam Presti. It’s not time to throw in the towel Thunder Nation, but it’s definitely time to for action.

For the full box score visit ESPN link and for game highlights, click the video above. Check back tomorrow for the sniper shopping list.